What transfer quarterback Jake Garcia’s commitment means for Mizzou Tigers football

The Missouri football program made a notable addition at quarterback through the transfer portal on Friday, with former Miami Hurricanes signal-caller Jake Garcia announcing that he’ll be joining the Tigers.

The Miami Herald reported that Garcia plans to start attending classes in Columbia Monday and will join the Tigers in time for spring practice. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report the news of Garcia’s transfer.

Garcia earned one start for the Hurricanes last season and helped engineer a win against Virginia. He finished the 2022 campaign with 803 passing yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

With spring football coming up, here’s what the addition of Garcia could mean for the Tigers.

Possible position battle?

Had he stayed at Miami, Garcia would have been in line to compete for the starting quarterback job in Coral Gables. Instead, he may have a chance to earn it at MU.

It might not be an easy road. MU coach Eli Drinkwitz and new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore will have plenty of options at quarterback for the 2023 season.

For one, last year’s starter, Brady Cook, remains on the roster and has made it clear he wants his job back. But the incumbent might be somewhat disadvantaged by missing spring football as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Still, Moore praised Cook during his introductory news conference on Jan. 7.

“I thought Brady really finished the year well there,” Moore said. “He’s gonna be in the rehab process here but he can still do a lot of things above the neck in terms of learning the game and learning the offense. Just really excited to get to work with him, I’ve heard a ton of good things.”

Cook finished last season with 248 completions in 383 attempts for 2,739 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was also one of MU’s leading rushers, going for 585 yards and six touchdowns on 139 carries.

The Tigers’ only other remaining scholarship QB from last season is Sam Horn, a four-star prospect out of Georgia who saw action in the New Mexico State game. He rushed for 10 yards and had two incomplete pass attempts, though a long completed throw was called back on a MU penalty.

Horn and Garcia have actually faced one another before. Horn’s Collins Hill High School team was defeated in the 2020 Georgia state championship game by Garcia’s Grayson.

The Tigers will also have freshman Gabarri Johnson available at the position next season. Johnson was a four-star recruit out of Washington state.

Fewer quarterback runs?

Last season, one of Missouri’s best offensive strengths was Cook’s ability as a runner. The Tigers’ offensive line struggled mightily throughout the year, and even after tearing his labrum during the third week of the season at Kansas State, Cook had to make things happen on his own.

Cook’s straight-line speed and ability to make defenders miss behind the line of scrimmage was huge for Missouri. After quarterbacks coach Bush Hamden started calling plays around midseason, he utilized designed runs for Cook even more.

Should Garcia win the job, there might be less of that. He hasn’t been known for his speed.

According to his 247Sports scouting report coming out of high school, Garcia was mobile enough to occasionally run option plays and make things happen on the ground if the pocket broke down.

Last season at Miami, Garcia had 24 rushing attempts for a net loss of 75 yards. It should be noted that sacks are counted as negative rushing yards for college quarterbacks.

Moore noted during his news conference that he plans on tooling the Tigers’ offensive scheme around his personnel. That could mean that an offense led by Garcia could look different than one with Cook or Horn at the helm.

Having Garcia on the team could mean the Tigers are more confident in their offensive line this season and would be more than happy to have him sit in the pocket and use his arm to try to win games.

More throws downfield?

Missouri’s receivers group looks loaded for 2023, even with the loss of last season’s leading receiver, Dominic Lovett (who transferred to Georgia).

Moore sounded thrilled about Mizzou’s lineup of wideouts earlier this month.

“The receiver room is really strong,” Moore said. “In terms of being explosive, a lot of that comes back to the receiver.”

Garcia is known for his arm and should be able to work the ball down the field to some of those receivers, including top transfer Theo Wease Jr., who joins the Tigers from Oklahoma, and sophomore-to-be Luther Burden III, who will move to the slot this season.

Wease and Burden can make plays down the field. And in taking over the slot position Lovett owned last year, Burden could see a breakout season this fall.

“We’ve got to be explosive and we’ve got to score more,” Moore said.

There are questions about Garcia’s decision-making — at times, he’s tried to use his arm to force throws. However, in the right scheme with the right receivers, he could be a valuable addition to Missouri’s vertical passing game.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.